


Rogue Avengers Return

by samanthadefily



Category: Avengers, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Other, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29033820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samanthadefily/pseuds/samanthadefily
Summary: Reader Insert x Peter Parker(Pre Infinity war)Warnings: mature language.Backstory:Y/N joined the 'New Avengers' as the superhero Tidal (OC) when she was 14 and a sophomore, she skipped a grade, joining Peter Parker at Midtown. Y/N was previously put under the guardianship of Fury after her parents died when she was 11 and is living with her "Uncle" Tiny (oops sorry she means Tony). Y/N is adopted by Stark and they live happily ever after, until a year later. Steve and his crew have been pardoned. Bucky who now goes by James, has been forgiven by Tony and now resents Steve for bringing him in this mess. He is annoyed about the pardon, Tony is not happy about it, Y/N is furious and Peter is scared of what his girlfriend will do to them. What will happen when they arrive? Read to find out!
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker/Reader
Kudos: 16





	1. Y/N is angry

If you didn't read the description, I would read it! It's a very important backstory that won't really be addressed in the story.

Word Count: 2390 

Steve sighed as the jet hit a patch of turbulence. His hair was a mess and stringy from the many times he has pulled at it. He was distraught and you could tell, he was also angry at Stark for abandoning him and the team by not helping them through this. T'Challa helped them but it should've been Stark helping, after all he did owe them. He was brought out of his thoughts by Sam who shook his shoulder. 

"Hey man, we're almost there." Steve smiled at him, reassuring him that he was ok. But he wasn't. He missed Bucky a lot and couldn't wait to see him. Standing up and looking around at his teammates, he couldn't believe how separated they have became after some people saw the Siberia video. Nat, Clint, and Scott were in the corner avoiding Steve, Wanda, and Sam. His real friends stuck up up for him after watching the video, especially Wands, saying that Tony attacked first and that it wasn't Steve's fault. While the rest of the team stayed away from him. 

Even before, Lang didn't like Steve. He hasn't seen Cassie in a year and resented him for that reason. He was the one that turned the rouges over to the UN, and wasn't the only person that hated Steve Roger's guts. The jet jerked again as it landed on the ground, Steve let go of the breath he didn't realize he was holding and stood up, facing Wanda. "Whatever happens, just know that i'm by your side." She nodded and stepped off of the jet, followed by the rest of the rouges.

As they adjusted their eyes, they saw a girl with H/L H/C hair and piercing E/C eyes. She walked forward a bit as anger flashed across her eyes and she stopped in front of the rouges. Her eyes scanned them until she found who she was looking for, Natasha Romanoff. Y/N walked toward her and the rouges became tense, awaiting the next action the girl would take. Instead of doing anything drastic, Y/N hugged Natasha with all of her might, "I haven't seen you in so long Nat."

"I missed you приливный (Tidal)."

"Me too madre araña (Spider Mother)."

"I see you still speak Spanish."

"And you still speak Russian."

Y/N walked away from Natasha and turned to address the rouges with a now serious look on her face, "Hello rouges. My name is Y/N, but you can call me Mrs. L/N. Many things have changed over this past year and I hope you realize that you're not on top anymore." Wanda opened her mouth to say something but, Y/N glared at her and she closed it. "Anyways, In the compound there is the East and West wing, you guys are not allowed in the West wing. You each have your own room in the East wing though."

"Why aren't we allowed in the West wing?" Scott asked politely.

"The New Avengers reside in that wing." After Y/N spoke those words Steve, Wanda, and Sam looked up with a look of disbelief on their face. "Many of them are not happy about you guys being pardoned, i'm doing you a favor."

"A favor?! We have the right to reside in the West wing!" Wanda exclaimed furiously.

"Maybe someday you will, if you earn my trust." Y/N said in disappointment, "I am in charge of you guys since you're "part" of the Avengers Initiative, and making sure you don't hurt anyone ever again."

"Is that a threat?" Steve said in a dangerous tone.

"It can be."

Y/N wasn't happy that she had to keep an eye on the rouges since one of them almost killed her dad. When she found out what happened in Siberia she was furious and couldn't believe that Rogers would even do that. She felt numb when Vision found Tony lying on the ground dying. As soon as he carried him into the compound, he was rushed away and there was nothing Y/N could do to help except to pray. She didn't eat, drink, or sleep for days on end because of the worry.

Then Peter came over to check on Tiny and everything became better. The way he bounced around with endless energy and never stopped talking, the way he made sure she ate enough and slept through the night, and the way he took care of her when she felt like the world was crashing all around her. Peter was her guardian angel, and she never wanted to let go of him.

Y/N was shook out of her thoughts as her alarm went off signifying that they needed to move on.

"So, schedule. We get in there, you get your new security badges, I show you to your rooms, you leave me be afterwards."

"Security badges? That's a little low tech for Stark, isn't it? I mean c'mon, what about the weirdly invasive ID'ing Friday usually does? Also I'm still confused, why aren't we allowed in the West wing?" Sam added.

Y/N sighed and turned to them just as they reached the front doors. "You being cut off from the West wing was a request from another Avenger who was not comfortable with any of you being around him. As for the security badges; there are new people who need to get familiar with your faces so they know if you're in a place you shouldn't be just by looking at you. I know you are all some what used to Friday's regulated scanning but I don't care. You'll have those badges with you 24/7 by the way." She promptly turned back around and walked through the main automatic doors that lead into the compound. Y/N held up a finger, indicating it would just take one moment, before she punched a code into a panel installed in the wall next to the door. It slid open once more, this time long enough fore everyone to make it through. She gestured for them to follow once more before walking away briskly, not checking to see if they were following.

Wanda leaned over to Steve and under her breath said, "Cut off from the West wing because of a request from another Avenger," she scoffed, "Tony's not even supposed to be an Avenger, isn't he mentally unstable or something?"

Steve was just about to answer her when he ran straight into Y/N who had stopped in the middle of the wide, glass hall.

"Contrary to all your popular beliefs it was Vision who requested that you lot were to be kept out of that part of the building." She announced loud enough for everyone to hear while staring down Wanda who only showed bitter distain on her face, even though everyone knew Vision was a soft spot for her. Then Y/N was lowering her voice just so the witch could hear and crouching to her height to meet her eyes. "And aren't you one to talk about being unstable?" She bit out, venom leaking from her tone.

Then she abruptly straightened up and continued walking, everyone else warily following after her.

They walked down a hall that looked new to Steve, floor to ceiling windows that showed off the meticulously cut lawn behind the compound. There was a flash of red that flew by the wall of glass and immediately all of the Avengers stiffened while Y/N continued walking, unaffected.

"Ms. L/N? Did you- what was that?" Scott asked, hesitantly.

However, before Y/N got the chance to even open her mouth something burst through the door that lead to the outside, the red blur, followed by a... young child with a gun? The highly trained soldiers and assassins tensed as they watched the spider-kid from the airport swing from the ceiling and come to a stop, upside down, in front of Y/N. The younger boy pushed past them to also get to the young girl, a manic grin stretched across his face.

"Hello Y/N." Both of the kids said together.

Said girl eyed them disapprovingly before holding out her hand to the smaller boy. He begrudgingly handed over his colorful gun, made from thick tubes and heavy duty springs from what Steve could see.

"Harley, what did Tiny say about your food guns outside of the workshop?" Y/N asked sternly, though also with a touch of fondness. She pulled back a lever to reveal light green apple in the chamber.

The rouges watched the exchange, feeling awkward for having been pushed aside and ignored so easily by the two kids. "He said, and I quote, 'Harley, I swear to the galaxies above, if you break one more two thousand dollar art piece with that potato gun I will dig up the old Jericho missile and blow it to hell.' This, however, is not a potato gun." He gave Y/N a big, mischievous grin. "Apples." He said smugly, pointing at the fruit.

"He does have a point, Tidal." Said the Spider-boy, still dangling precariously from the ceiling. However everyone there knew that his webs were strong enough to hold him.

"Sometimes I really do wonder why I talk to you." She mumbled.

The Harley kid sighed dramatically and said, "Well you are my sister."

Steve felt uncomfortable listening to the ordinary conversation because since they were all completely disregarding the Avengers it seemed more intimate somehow. Clint looked like he was trying his hardest not to listen into their talk and Sam was giving Wanda several pointed looks like he was trying to tell her something, while Scott was just looking around the compound in awe. To be perfectly honest it was sometimes weird to see that Scott still hero worshipped them and what they did even though he was basically one of them now.

Steve also wondered who the kid's dad was. Maybe they were Ross'... Steve was never even close to being an acquaintance with that man so it made sense to not know about him having a kid.

Y/N's voice cut through Steve's thought. "I doubt he would want me to introduce you all to each other but I'll do it anyways because of the meeting later and we all need to have some sort of chemistry on the battlefield." She began, but was cut off by Sam.

"Battlefield? That kid looks five?!" Sam said, pointing at the youngest.

"I'm thirteen, but sure, thirteen, five? Same difference." The 'kid' replied sassily.

"Well Harley won't actually be on the battlefield but he does operate some of the aerial scouting tech from time to time, just as an extra pair of eyes." Y/N responded coolly, tugging Harley close to her side as the spider gracefully let go of the web one limb at a time until he was upright and on his feet. He then yanked the web from the ceiling and wrapped it around his arm. "Good, you're learning not to leave behind a mess wherever you go." Y/N murmured, pleased.

"Are you sure that's appropriate?" Clint asked, brow raised. "I mean, for someone so young... I can't imagine my kids having to see such a gruesome battle on a regular basis. His father must not care much for his child's mental health." He said this with a slightly sarcastic lilt to his voice which only served to harden Y/N glare.

Surprisingly, Harley answered. "I bet your kids have already seen enough. I mean, with them having a deadly assassin as a dad and all." He basically whispered, a certain edge taking to his voice. "But what would I know about raising a family, Hawkeye. I'm so young. I couldn't possibly understand what it's like to have to make the choice between staying retired or stepping out on your family for no apparent reason."

They were all shocked. Well, not Y/N or Peter, they had been expecting something even more brutal. Steve was about to argue or at least ask why the boy knew so much but thought better of it and allowed Clint to answer for himself. "Hey, kid, you don't know my situation. It was a tough decision but it had to be done. I knew what I was doing and I knew how leaving to help Steve would effect my family. I- I know I have a responsibility to my kids, as their father, but it was the right thing to do." He ended righteously.

"Eh, it happens, dads leave, no need to be a pussy about it, though." Harley replied nonchalantly. Peter chuckled, recognizing the line from the story Harley had told him about how he had met Tony for the first time.

"Language, young man. You should never speak to your superiors like that!" Steve turned to Y/N helplessly but she just stared back at him, "Not trying to tell you how to handle kids but are you really not going to say anything about that?" He asked incredulously, hands flailing.

"No, Rogers, I will not. He is my boyfriend, and he is my brother. So I personally don't give a fuck. I was going to say something worse." She answered simply, turning away from him to continue down the hall. "Oh, and by the way, I will also be on the battlefield with you as one of your superiors. I may be 15, but I am much more powerful then all of you combined, so I suggest that you don't try anything to Harley, Spidey, or Tony." The rogues looked shocked, while Y/N smiled.

"Now, on wards with the schedule, I really do need to get a good night of sleep tonight." The two boys walked closely to her one either side as they disappeared into another corridor.

Clint glanced over at Steve, a completely baffled look on his face as he began walking to catch up with them. The others followed after them, just as confused by what had happened as their Captain was. Sam shook his head and mumbled under his breath, "damn teenagers and their damn angst" but kept up with his friends nonetheless.

A/N: Yo, sorry if this is bad, you can go off in the comments if you want, I don't really care. Love you guys, bye! - sam


	2. Salty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where are all of the rogues old stuff? And is the Barton family closer than you think?

Word Count: 1492

They were shown to their rooms which were much smaller then their last rooms and when asked why they had even been moved in the first place. Y/N had answered that new people had moved in since they had moved out. Simple as that apparently. But they hadn't actually moved out, they'd left for a few months and were now back. So where was all their stuff?

"Well, some of it's stored in a warehouse south of here, like the bigger custom furniture but if it was small enough for someone to pick up without help than most likely it's gone." Peter answered, and at that the rogues grew furious.

"What do you mean gone?!"

"How could you just get rid of our belongings like that?"

"Is Stark really that petty?"

Peter and Harley's face grew dark at the last comment, but the youngest restrained himself when he replied, "Considering you were wanted fugitives -not just in the US, but around the world and you all knew you were going against the law- you should've known that going against the Accords the way you did would make you someone not welcomed back to the compound with open arms. We didn't expect you to come back at all really."

"But isn't that what's happening right now?" Sam jumped in. "We were pardoned and now we're back at the compound." He said, brows furrowed.

"To be perfectly honest, Mr. Wilson, this is not a welcome back. We are not happy you're here and I, personally would rather have you not stay here seeing as this is Stark Industries property. However, the team decided you all needed a cushion to start off with, seeing as none of you have actual jobs to rent an apartment, much less buy your own groceries." Y/N sounded like she was talking down to them.

There was a small trilling bell that sounded from Clint's phone, so he pulled it out. A text message.

"We only just got home and I want someone put together to tell me why I just got a text from my son saying 'Stay out of the West wing. We don't want to talk to you.'"

Everything stopped. Y/N looked up and so did the other teenagers. The other Avengers didn't move either, their voices caught in their throats.

Clint paused and took a deep breath, staring down at his phone- most likely the text- and grinded out, "Ms. L/N, if you would be kind enough to tell me why my family is in this compound and why they're in the West wing of all places I'd very much appreciate it." There was a dangerous edge to his tone, like he was ready to unhinge. The West wing was only for Avengers, outside of them if you wanted access you would have to deliberately request to stay there and even then barely anyone got verified. Steve only remembers seeing two people who weren't a part of the Avengers walk through that part of the compound and it had been Pepper and the secretary of state.

Y/N turned to meet the archer's eyes and through a tight lipped smile said, "I'm sorry, Barton but it wouldn't be appropriate for me to tell you why your family chose to have their living space in that particular location. However, I can tell you that they were brought to the compound just before Ross sent out a team to search your farm house. At the moment the secretary does not know of their where abouts and the team would like to keep it that way."

Clint spluttered for a moment. "Ross sent people after my family?" He asked, though he did seem a hair calmer. "I... Who got them out? What team?"

"Tony and the other Avengers, including me, retrieved Laura and the kids just after learning of Ross' plans to have them investigated to see if they knew where you were hiding out."

"Tony?" Steve asked, completely bewildered by Pepper's answer. "Why would he..." He trailed off.

"Yes, Mr. Rogers, our friendly neighborhood Iron Man did the right thing." Y/N said, tone bitter.

Clint still looked confused but at least he was no longer angry. "And Barton? Those meetings that are 'usually not important' and are probably the most important thing in your life right now other than your family, seeing as we're discussing whether or not Stark Industries will continue funding the Avengers."

\---

After learning their funding might be cut, and then hearing that if that were to happen Tony Stark would pick up funding out of his own pocket, everyone was a bit dumbstruck. Their first thought had been that the only reason Tony would fund them privately would be out of the selfish need to always be in the spot light as Iron Man, but then they realized he could self fund and completely drop the Avenger's title all together. He didn't need them really, the billionaire had been fine in the past when going solo.

Now everyone was slowly filtering out of their new bland bedrooms and into the common area that connected them all. 

None of them had changed, or showered, or eaten since they had landed about five hours ago even though that had been everyone's plan for when they first got 'home'.

None of their closets were stocked with clothing like they usually were so it's not like they could change anyways, and no one really wanted to relax after absorbing all of the information they just had. So, they sat together in a comfortable silence, waiting for something to happen.

Eventually something did happen.

A kid who looked to be in his mid-teens and Harley came in with a small metal box. The Avengers sat up straighter and watched the kids walk closer until they were right in front of each other.

"An intern was supposed to come by and give you all this but we wanted to do it instead, even though my dad and Y/N would be pissed that we're even talking to you." Harley said, preoccupied with unlatching the little box and flipping it open.

"Language." Steve muttered involuntarily before looking strangely at the older boy. "And you are...?" He asked, gesturing at him.

"Peter. His brother-in-law, not officially though." When Steve still looked helplessly confused Peter held out his left hand, bent in his middle and ring finger and made a 'psst psst' sound.

"You're the Spider-boy?" Asked Sam incredulously. Clint was also staring at Peter but he had put one and two together just from noticing Peter's height, body type and voice.

"Spider-Man! God! I-I Ugh!" Peter exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air dramatically before continuing. "We have your stupid security badges and your stupid credit cards for your stupid faces." He grumbled childishly.

Harley rummaged around in the box some more before pulling out a handful of lamented badges. He handed them each their own and reminded them that they were required to wear them at all times for at least the first month of being back so people could familiarize themselves.

"How would someone not recognize us? I mean, c'mon we're basically famous." Scott said, examining the picture of himself on the card.

"J-just wear the badges and get over it." Peter sighed as he passed around another set of cards.

"Each of those have one hundred thousand dollars on there. You don't get it renewed for a year, and since you don't have bills or groceries to pay for you should be fine." Harley told them.

Steve narrowed his eyes. "We used to have unlimited funds on our cards...?" He asked almost suspiciously.

"Yeah well the average American earns about fifty thousand a year and they have debts, bills and taxes to pay. So, considering you won't be cleared for combat yet you guys are basically just being handed a lot of money without having to do anything for it. Be grateful for once, okay?" Harley replied, staring straight back at Steve menacingly, but since he looked about ten or eleven it wasn't all that intimidating to the Captain.

"Uh huh..." Was all the boy got in response as Steve tucked the credit card into his pocket and clipped on his security badge. It read, 'Steven Grant Rogers. Former military trainee. Enhanced Soldier. Inactive combat participant. Clearance Level: 4'

He used to be clearance level nine.

The metal box clicked shut as the boys turned to walk out of the room. Though, Harley glanced back over is shoulder to say, "And be warned, there's one furry, salty mother fucker waiting for you guys to step out of line for even a second. And he will blow you sky high at any chance he gets." And with that they were gone.

The team was quiet for a moment before Clint asked hesitantly, "... furry?" And looked to Steve, but all he got was a confused shrug in return.


	3. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2 sides meet again

Walking into the meeting was surreal, the two sides of the civil war seeing each other after a year. Of course some of the people on the new Avengers side have never talked to the rouges, but that doesn't stop them from hating the fact that they were now in the room. Y/N looked bored already as she showed each rouges to their seat, then went around to the other side of the table to sit. Out of the 20 new Avengers, their were only 6 that decided to attend the meeting (the ones that were trusted to not punch the rouges) Scott kept his head down as he walked in, he was ashamed that he was even there.

Y/N, Peter, Harley, Hope, Vision, and Dr. Strange were not happy to be there. The only reason Peter was even there (he was one of the people who was not trusted to not punch the rouges) is because he needed to support Y/N, after all she is his girlfriend. He decided to not wear his suit and mask because he doesn't want to deal with the rogues crap. Harley was there because he promised that he would not let Peter or Y/N punch anyone since they are the ones that can't wait to "train with them" (read: try to kill them) 

"Okay," Y/N started, "Let's start with introduction, this is Peter aka Spider-man, I believe you guys met him in Germany and earlier today." 

Several of the rogues flinched at the mention of Germany, bringing a satisfied smile on to Y/N's face. "This is Dr. Stephan Strange, Harley Keener also known as Iron Lad, Hope also known as the Wasp-" 

Scott finally looked up, surprise written on his face. "Hey Hope... Do you know how Cassie is?"

Hope sighed, "She's missing her father." A look of hurt crossed his face as she slapped the truth right into his face.

"Any who," Y/N continued, "You guys know Vision." Wanda looked like she wanted to say something but decided against it. "There are many people that are part of the new Avengers that you don't know, you'll meet them later. Rhodey is a little late, he'll be here soon but now let's get to the adult stuff."

"I'm here because the UN asked me – nicely, I might add – to be the one to tell to you all what your situations are. Apparently they're under the mistaken impression that I'm somehow an adult even though i'm only 15. Whatever – I can manage to be one for this meeting anyway." Y/N sighed and straightened. "As a result of your actions, you each have consequences and options available to you." She raked her eyes over them all, meeting the hardening of Rogers's steady gaze with the same composure as the eye rolls and annoyed mutters of the 3 out of the 6 rogues who think they're better. Hope had to admit, Steve Rogers had one hell of a stink eye. "One of those options is to have this discussion in private." She looked at them each in turn again. "Do any of you want to do that?

Wanda's eyes were narrowed as she studied her closely. It didn't look as though she was happy with whatever it was she was seeing.

"Anything you say to one of us you can say to all us together," Wanda declared.

"We need to hear from each of you, out loud please," Harley said brusquely. "For the record."

"We all want to hear this together," Rogers said.

"Yeah," Wilson agreed. "We're with Steve."

"That's a pretty thought," Harley retorted crisply, "You'll have to tell me later whether or not you still feel that way."

"We need to hear from each of you individually," Hope interjected before anyone else could. "... Please," she added as an afterthought.

In turn, Maximoff, Barton, Rogers, Wilson, Lang, and Romanoff stated that they wanted to hear everything as a group. Even though Clint, Natasha, and Scott were a little hesitant. Hope nodded as she made a notation of their agreement and the time on her Stark pad.

"Ok..."


	4. Adult Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shit hits the fan.

"OK." As Y/N turned to Scott, the door opened again and Rhodey stepped into the room, sliding into a seat gracefully.

He glanced quickly around the table, nodding to each of them in turn. "I apologize for being late," he said.

Y/N shrugged. "We were just getting to it," she said. Her attention returned to the group as a whole. "Look, a lot happened to get us all where we are right now, affecting several sovereign countries, the European Union, the UN, the United States, and individuals. There's no single entity that handles everything, and frankly there's pretty much no chance that everyone would agree regardless. If you're thinking that there's some kind of magical all-encompassing all-nations 'pardon', you're wrong, there is no such thing, and if you're looking for unicorns go watch My Little Pony. So what you're going to hear is going to be broken down into those different areas."

Romanoff leaned back a little in her chair, her mouth tightening further. She was starting to get it, though Hope doubted that she had any idea of the scale. There was a lot they didn't know.

"Just get to the grovelling already, L/N," Wilson pretended to examine his fingernails. "You have a schedule to keep, remember?"

Y/N gestured at Lang. "You. First, the sovereign nations and EU. Germany is very upset with you." She smiled thinly. "You are officially barred from entering Germany – or anywhere else in the European Union. Frankly, the fact that no one really knows who you are is the only thing currently saving your ass and keeping Germany from sending a retrieval squad after you, thanks to several billion dollars' worth of damage you personally caused at the Leipzig Airport. Fortunately for you, the insurance companies have decided that Pym Technologies makes a better target for their lawsuits. Even with that, you're facing charges in Germany of illegal entry, destruction of property, criminal endangerment, assault and battery, flight from prosecution and escaping prison. Tony left the part where you tried to kill him by disabling the suit during flight from his report. Still, Germany is willing to stay the charges except for the property damage. If you return to the US permanently, you won't be extradited – Germany has agreed to deal with you in absentee."

Lang looked as though he'd just been hit with a bat. The smile was gone and his face had gone dead white. Rhodes was staring at him murderously – apparently Tony hadn't mentioned Lang trying to kill him before now, and Rhodes seemed to be considering how to dismember him with the power of his brain. Hope added her own glare to his.

Lang muttered, "I wasn't trying to kill him!"

Y/N continued inexorably. "I just said he left that part out... The US has revoked your passport and has issued a warrant for your arrest for your parole violation. Since Pym Technologies is currently using the defense in the lawsuits that their technology was used without their knowledge or permission, the warrant includes additional charges of grand larceny."

"What... what about the Accords?" Lang swallowed hard, looking at Clint desperately.

"Scott..." Hope shook her head slowly and then gentled her tone. "Scott. The UN reviewed your information and the council does not feel that you're a suitable candidate for the Avengers. But they are willing to consider you if Y/N decides she wants you on the team."

"Lang held his own against Tony, War Machine, and Vision," Rogers glared. "How does that not make him a original candidate? If it's because of his past and the whole jail thing..."

"No," Rhodey interrupted. "He used stolen technology that he had nothing to do with creating and that does not require specialized skills to operate." He stopped abruptly and focused his gaze on Lang instead of Rogers. "Pardon me. You used stolen technology. You have no powers, and you have no other specialized skills that translate into qualifying for the Accords. If you want to try and become affiliated with a local group rather than the international one, then go for it. But without the suit – and Pym Technologies has disabled the one you had – I don't expect it to happen."

"You said... you said that we had options." Lang's eyes snapped back to Y/N's face pleadingly.

Y/N kept it brutally short. "You could stay on the run. But you should be aware that staying in Wakanda will be a lot more difficult than it was before. And if I can offer you some advice – if you take that option, stay the fuck away from Germany. And from anyone Germany talks to. But I am considering letting you on the team."

Lang buried his face in his hands.

"Stark is such an asshole," Wilson exploded. "None of this would have even happened if it weren't for him."

"Oh yeah?" The sudden rage in Y/N's voice caught Peter, and from the way they startled everyone else, by surprise. "Tony didn't call him. Tony didn't drag him out of state and force him to violate his parole. Tony didn't dress him in a suit that he didn't own, and Tony certainly didn't make him destroy more than a billion dollars' worth of Leipzig Airport. He wasn't an Avenger, and wasn't a candidate for the Accords. No one has ever even heard of him. Out of everyone around this table, he's the one who had no goddamned reason to even be there." She glared at Lang's bowed head. "Seriously, what the fuck were you thinking?"

Rogers's chin was lifted stubbornly. "We'll deal with this, Scott, don't worry."

"We will make sure she let's you on the team," Maximoff agreed, her voice dark.

Natasha and Clint just rubbed Scott's back reassuringly, not knowing why all of a sudden Rogers was defending him

Wilson crossed his arms over his chest. The 3 looked irritated.

Strange wanted to slap them all.

Lang just huddled tighter in on himself.

Y/N sighed and brought her temper back under control. "I have retained a lawyer on your behalf," Hope told Lang quietly. "A good one." Lang nodded once looking up at Hope for a couple of seconds and Y/N shifted to Romanoff.

"Aunt Nat."

She tensed visibly, meeting her eyes sadly.

"I get it, you know. Why you let them go. You told Tony – Steve wasn't going to stop." Vision saw Rogers flinch out of the corner of her eye. Y/N ignored it. "It's the same reason that some police forces won't participate in high speed chases anymore – because the risk to civilian life is too high to support pursuit."

"Yes," she said.

"I wish that you'd considered what it meant that you let them go, though. That it meant that both Rogers and Barnes have a world-wide shoot on sight – shoot to kill – order on them, for all US forces."

"What?" Wilson sat bolt upright.

"Yeah," Rhodes grinned sharply, all teeth. "Step outside, Rogers. I dare you."

"We could always work on getting that order rescinded later," Romanoff said smoothly. Even though she was mad at them, they've been friends for a while, "Wakanda, on the other hand, needed there King alive."

T'Challa looked mildly offended.

"You're all stupid," Peter muttered.

"And you pissed off General Ross... who is also Secretary of Defense Ross. Who is known for a lot of things, none of which is his forgiving nature. And he talks to the President every day." Y/N sighed again. "Ms Romanoff," Y/N said formally, having gotten rid of the aunt Nat already, "Your US citizenship has been revoked, and you are no longer welcome in the United States unless you make a choice. The UN Council is interested in having you rejoin the Avengers under the Accords, but since you were an original signatory and then aided in the escape of a fugitive, you would be facing punitive action under Section twenty-two point six. If you elected to work with the Avengers, you would be allowed to stay in the U.S. but that's your choice."

Romanoff blinked, the only indication of her surprise. Barton gasped in shock and the others reared back. "How were her actions at the airport treason?" Wilson demanded.

"SHIELD was an agency of the US government, under the Department of Defense. When you released all of SHIELD's files online, you committed treason against the US government," Vision explained quietly. "They haven't added in any charges yet related to the deaths that came from that decision, but if Ross ever actually reads the summary report that SHIELD prepared on the topic you likely will be."

"I testified before Congress about that," she said tightly. "There were no charges brought."

"There's no actual statute of limitations on treason," Rhodey said.

Y/N shrugged. "They seem to have collectively either remembered the nineties or gone and watched 'A Few Good Men', because your approach of 'you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall' isn't flying the way it used to. If you sign the Accords, the charge of treason will be stayed, but you'll still be allowed in the U.S."

She frowned. "If I don't sign?"

"If you don't, then you don't. You're facing charges under the Accords and in Germany for aiding the escape of a fugitive, but you have a solid defense with the civilian protection angle. Otherwise you're free and clear outside of the US. Well, as free and clear as you can be without citizenship anywhere, and avoiding countries with extradition agreements, but you're resourceful."

"This is bullshit," Rogers growled loudly. Barton was tempted to agree, but didn't want to make things worse since he hasn't done anything drastic and wants to keep it that way.

"I feel exactly the same way," Rhodes shot back. "The fact that we're here at all is a goddamned joke."

"Wanda," Rhodey said, and immediately all eyes were on him. "I... Hmm." He tapped his fingers against the tabletop for an instant. "I need to apologize to you." The shock on her face almost made Peter laugh, but Rhodey seemed oblivious to it. "I should have had Tony tell you that you needed to stay at the Compound because your US visa was in jeopardy. I should have told you that we were concerned that you could be attacked and that you might be forced to defend yourself, which would have resulted in more injured civilians and the end of your visa in the USA. I thought that you knew enough about what had happened to know why you should stay in for a while, but I didn't take the time to discuss it with you and I should have. I realize that lack of context contributed to your belief that you were imprisoned at the Compound. You didn't know what was going on, and you didn't know that it was temporary. I'm sorry."

Maximoff was speechless.

"None of that excuses your actions," Peter interjected. "Violence isn't actually one of your options outside of a sanctioned operation, you know that, right? Physically attacking someone who was trying to protect you is flat out wrong no matter what you did or didn't know. You attacked Vision physically when he had taken no actions at all against you, you did hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to the Compound, and at Leipzig Airport you outright tried to kill Tony."

She flushed angrily.

"Seriously," Strange shook his finger at her, then at all of them including Vision and Rhodey. "You people need to learn to use your damned words." Y/N was not in the least surprised when his finger stopped on Rogers. "Punching something is not a first resort!"

"Ms Maximoff. You are barred from entry in Germany and are not welcome anywhere in the European Union," Strange told her evenly. "Should you attempt to enter the EU, you will be facing charges relating to the destruction of Leipzig Airport, illegal entry, attempted murder, and escaping custody." He took a deep breath. "The UN considers you a strong candidate for the Avengers, and should you elect to sign the Accords, Germany has agreed to drop the criminal charges against you as a gesture of good faith. Should you join the Avengers, you would still not be permitted to enter the EU. If you decide to sign the Accords, your US visa will be renewed.

"Further, since Sokovia has petitioned the European Union for membership, you also will not be able to return there. If you choose not to sign the Accords, then Germany will retain the criminal charges, and you will be subject to an international warrant and extradition."

The smirk fled. "I am not going to prison," Maximoff declared furiously. Her eyes glinted red.

"Then you should sign the Accords," Y/N told her calmly. She moved on to Wilson, apparently ignoring the way that Maximoff's hands glittered as they flexed against the tabletop. Rogers reached under the table to give her hand a supportive squeeze.

"Sam." Y/N's lips quirked into a tiny smile that Wilson didn't return. She seemed unfazed.

"Let me guess," Wilson said stolidly. "I'm not welcome in Germany."

"You have charges pending in Bucharest for obstruction of police, aiding a fugitive, destruction of property, reckless endangerment, escape from custody, and flight from prosecution. In Germany, you're facing destruction of property, flight from prosecution, grand larceny, and aiding terrorist activities, and in both countries illegal entry."

Wilson's eyes flicked to Rhodes. "Not attempted murder?"

Vision shifted in his seat, and Rhodes straightened his shoulders. Harley spoke up. "Wilson... What happened to Colonel Rhodes was not your fault."

"If I hadn't..."

"You moved to evade a shot," Rhodes said clearly. "That's what you should do when someone is shooting at you. It's not your fault that I was on the other side of you and got hit instead. It's not Vision's fault that I got hit either. It just is. Shit happens."

Wilson looked away, his eyes suspiciously shiny.

"No. The charges do not include attempted murder, nor should they." Y/N continued after a moment. "After reviewing your information, the Accords council considers you a good candidate for the Accords, since you have experience with the Falcon wings and since your previous service as an Avenger was satisfactory. Since you were only minimally involved in the destruction of Liepzig airport, the German government is willing to drop the charges relating to destruction of property if you're willing to sign the Accords."

Wilson nodded curtly. "So, signing the Accords makes all the European charges go away?"

Peter shook his head. "No. Your chance to have the Romanian charges dropped by signing the Accords was gone when Steve refused the deal in Bucharest. Of course, compounding the problem by leaving custody when the Winter Soldier broke out didn't help."

"It took a lot of discussion to convince Germany to bend on their charges," Rhodes contributed. "The subsequent jailbreak after your capture in Germany really pissed them off."

"Pissed them off?" Wilson banged his fist on the table. "How about how their illegal incarceration pissed us off?"

Strange shook his head and looked as if he was going to ignore the interruption, but Rhodes put his hand on his arm to forestall him. "Oh, I wanna hear this."

"Me too," Hope leaned back a little in her chair. "This should be fascinating. Tell us about your illegal incarceration, Mr Wilson."

Wilson narrowed his eyes at her but didn't entirely rise to the bait. "After we were grabbed at Leipzig, we were thrown in prison without a trial, without seeing a lawyer. We were in the process of being fucking disappeared when we broke out."

Rhodes laughed out loud, making everyone jump. "No you weren't," he said. "You were part of a group of enhanced people who destroyed an airport while aiding the escape of an internationally wanted terrorist, who had already broken out of a secure facility. Of course you were put in jail – a jail that could hope to hold enhanced individuals – prior to arraignment on your charges. And arraignment takes some time to get to. We were working on bringing over some lawyers experienced in international law." He laughed again. "You've actually seen TV, right? You do know that arrested people go to jail? They don't just read you your rights and then release you again because you're totally nice enough to come back for trial?"

"Bucky is not an international terrorist!" Rogers's hands clenched in front of him. His knuckles stood out starkly against the tanned skin of his fingers and Hope could almost hear the bones in his hands creak.

Rhode's jaw tightened and again he shook his head rather than reply.

"In other words, Mr Wilson, you weren't being 'disappeared', although since the Raft was built by SHIELD I suppose you can be forgiven for thinking otherwise."Hope set her clasped hands on the table in front of her.

"You didn't see..." Sam started hotly.

Y/N interrupted. "We're getting off track."

Lang leaned over. "What did you mean, when you said that Steve turned down the deal in Bucharest? What deal?"

Harley frowned.

Rhodes leaned back in his chair, lips tugging into a smirk. "Did Steve not tell you about that?"

"Uncle Rhodey," Y/N murmured quietly and Rhodes subsided. Vision turned to Lang. "In the interests of 'using my words'," he shot a sideways glance at Rhodes, who inclined his head in acknowledgement, "when Steve, Sam and Barnes were apprehended in Bucharest, there was an offer made to forgive all charges and provide mental health assistance for Barnes in exchange for signing the Accords. Steve refused the deal, they all escaped custody, and we reconvened at Leipzig airport."

"What?" Lang whispered, his face dead white. He turned to Wilson. "You guys had the option of being forgiven for Bucharest, and for getting Bucky help to recover from his time with Hydra, and you didn't take it?"

"They wanted to kill Bucky," Rogers replied in a tone that meant that he was barely holding on to his temper. "They sent a helicopter with a chain gun after him in Bucharest, and they didn't care who else they hit, either." He lifted his head and Peter felt a little burst of adrenaline at the fury in his eyes.

"I feel I must point out that it wasn't some nebulous 'them' that actually had Barnes in Bucharest when you refused the deal," Rhodes said calmly. "It was us."

"And you did a great job protecting him, didn't you?" Rogers gritted out. "Considering that he was triggered by the psychiatrist that you brought in to assess him."

"Off track," Y/N singsonged, rapping the table. She spoke to Lang, "yes, they had the option – before the Winter Soldier was triggered and escaped – and yes, they refused it."

Wilson was shaking his head. "To be fair," he said, "I wasn't offered anything and I didn't refuse anything."

Y/N turned to look at him, an arrested expression on her face. "That's true," she said slowly. "Tony spoke to Steve, not to you."

"I was considering it," Rogers added, "Until I learned that Wanda was... 'Confined' was Tony's word ... at the Compound."

"I would have liked the opportunity to consider it myself," Wilson said quietly. "You know I'm with you, Steve, whichever way you jump, but it should still have been brought to me too."

Lang was still shaking his head. "You could have resolved it all before you even called me. You didn't even have to call me."

"Hey, at least they did call us," Clint snapped after getting as angry as can be. "Unlike Stark, who figures we're beneath notice or something."

The tension in the room ratcheted up and Hope saw Rhodes tense.

"Is that what this has been about?" For the first time since she'd arrived, Y/N looked as though she was fully present. "Seriously? You're pissed because Tony didn't call you?" Her face was a mask of incredulity.

"Of course he didn't call me. I'm a washed up farmer and I didn't want to sign his precious Accords, right?" Barton's fists were tight, his voice bitter.

"He didn't call you because you were out, you dumb fuck!" Y/N exploded out of her seat, raking her hands through her hair. Peter looked like he wanted to stop her but he didn't. She paced a couple of steps before rounding back on Barton. "You really don't get it, do you? You had it! The brass ring was in your hands! You spent most of your life in a dangerous job, you faced a goddamned alien invasion and killer robots, and at the end of a glorious career you actually managed to retire and get to go home to your family! There was nothing on this earth that could have made him call you. He called a fucking fifteen-year old kid before he called you! Tony would have called me before he would have called you!" That wasn't true. Tony didn't even know about her then but that doesn't matter. She slumped back into his seat and stared into Barton's astonished face intently. "You have three little kids, Clint. Stark would die before he'd take their father from them like mine was taken from me. My parents died because a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent didn't care that it was a high risk mission and that they probably wouldn't come back. So when Fury got a phone call from that agent, he had to tell a 11 year old girl, that her parents died because no one cared that they had a child.

"But hey – you got called, and you answered, and I don't blame you for that," Y/N continued remorselessly. "But when you did that – when you showed up and took Wanda out of the Compound, when you hurt Vision and you went to Leipzig and you helped an internationally wanted terrorist escape custody, you took that life of service, that legacy and you destroyed it. You're a smart man, and you knew that it was all illegal, and you went and you did it anyway, and that's why you're where you are. You took your kids' father from them. And you're pissed at Tony because he didn't call you? I think that you should be fucking livid at them that they did."

Barton just stared at her silently.

Y/N took a seat and Peter put an arm around her.

"So, Mr Barton." Hope said carefully, mindful of the tension in the room and trying to get back to a calmer footing. "After review of your actions at Leipzig airport, Germany has elected to vacate the charges against you for property damage, since your contribution was minor compared to that of Scarlet Witch and Ant Man. You still face charges of assisting the escape of a fugitive, flight from prosecution, escape from custody, assault and illegal entry from your time there, and you are no longer permitted within the EU. The Accords council has not chosen to respect your wish to retire and does currently consider you a candidate for the Accords. If you serve 2 years as a Avenger, you can go back to your family. Germany has indicated that if you return to the US they will not pursue extradition, as long as you never attempt to enter the EU. If you choose to return to the US, you will be facing charges of domestic terrorism and property damage for the bomb you set off at the Compound, and assault for the attack on Vision."

"Vision is willing to request that the charges of assault be dropped," Rhodes said quietly, "if that helps you see your family." Vision nodded.

Barton covered his eyes with his hand.

Wilson took a deep breath. "So, if the Romanian charges are still in place for me, what does that mean?"

"No more Europe for you," Harley told him. "They're waiving extradition if you sign the Accords and return to the US, but trying you in absentee is as far as they're willing to go. If you choose not to sign the Accords, then there's no going home."

Wilson asked, "But if we have to, we can return to Wakanda, right?"

Strange shook his head no.

"Ok, Mrs. L/N, this has gone far enough." Rogers pushed his chair away from the table and stood. Y/N just tilted her head politely. "I understand that you wanted to make a point here, and that you wanted us to feel like you're doing us a favor by bringing us home, but threatening the King of Wakanda to not let us back in there? We know that you're here because the world needs us back. We know that you'll do whatever you have to do to get us back. All of this? This is just a show. Can you get to the real offers now?"

"Please, Steve, sit down," Peter gestured gracefully. Grudgingly Rogers complied. "Y/N did not say that he was threatened. We have, however, been informed of a new threat, one that has proven many of the things that I believed to be true a lie. One of those beliefs was that Wakanda was unassailable; it is not."

"A new threat! So you do need us." Maximoff smiled triumphantly.

T'Challa stepped out of the corner, unknown to anyone.

"I'm afraid not," T'Challa said. "But I do believe it is fair to say that we all desire to have any distractions out of the way. I do understand you hadn't intended to broach this subject today, Mrs. L/N, but perhaps we should do so nonetheless."

"It's Y/N, T'Challa, I am so much younger then you." Y/N said laughing. "Ok, fine. Wanda, you remember that image you showed Tony back in the Hydra base in Sokovia? Would you be able to share that with everyone?"

Hope frowned and saw it echoed on the other faces around her. Only Y/N remained serene.

"No," Maximoff said sweetly.

"Allow me." The voice, male with a clipped British accent, took them by surprise and they jumped; all but Y/N. They turned in unison to face the corner of the room where a bald, older man sat comfortably in a wheelchair with a calming smile on his face. "I am Doctor Charles Xavier, though you may call me Professor, and I apologize for startling you. I arrived late and chose not to interrupt the proceedings. I hope you don't mind." Hope felt her irritation wane and his smile widened as they all relaxed and no one objected, although Maximoff continued to eye him suspiciously. "Now," he turned the smile on Y/N. "I believe that you wanted everyone to be shown something?"

Y/N visibly steeled herself. "Good to see you Professor, thank you again for coming. I have prepared after watching the vision, and I am ready. So you can do it."

An instant later, Hope was awash in terror. Her stomach lurched and it was all she could do not to scream with it. Her gorge rose and she almost vomited. Her mind gibbered at her in a base panic. She could just barely make out Y/N's voice over the horror in her brain.

"Jesus, Charles, dial it back a little."

The fear subsided.

She was in space, staring at a vast armada of ships. Thousands upon thousands of ships, as far as her eye could make sense of. There were Leviathan-class Chitauri assault ships moving towards her gracefully, their pinpoint size providing a gauge for the stupendous size of the ships following them. An eye-searing flash of light flared within the nearest... carrier? She wasn't sure what nomenclature to use for them. She closed her eyes against the light, suddenly overcome with vertigo. She couldn't... she couldn't catch her breath. Why couldn't she breathe? She forced her eyes back open to see the remainder of that massive fleet; a single ship loss nothing against those incalculable numbers...

She took a deep whoop of air, suddenly back in the conference room, hearing the others cough and gasp as well. Y/N was wagging an admonishing finger at Professor Xavier, who looked completely unrepentant. "You asked for me to share Dr. Stark's experience in the Hydra bunker," he said, "At least I stopped with the wormhole."

The others were still heaving, and Hope saw with private glee that Lang was still swallowing hard, clearly fighting nausea. "Was that really necessary?" Rogers bit out.

"It was Tony's memory." Charles lifted an eyebrow at the growl he got in return. "And I did mute the emotions before passing them on. To be fair, his original experience was significantly worse."

Good God. That had been muted? And he'd had to relive it in that Hydra bunker? Hope found herself glaring at Maximoff, whose face was hidden by her hair.

Y/N gestured silently, and abruptly an image of that terrifying fleet of ships popped into existence above the table. They all leaned back from it as one, except T'Challa who craned his neck for a better look. "Fascinating," he said. "You are achieving this effect without technology."

"Indeed I am," was all that Professor Xavier said.

"This is what Tony saw through the wormhole," Y/N said, waving at the image. "This is what he's been working towards preparing for since the day the Chitauri attacked us. This is what led him to consider a solution like Ultron. And this, it turns out, is only a small part of the problem." She nodded at Professor Xavier, and the image changed to show an even greater fleet, with the uncountable Chitauri ships a mere fraction of the total. "This is what we currently have heading for Earth."

"Oh my God," Barton whispered. The others echoed him, horror etched on every face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading, love you all!


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